We are affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) denomination.
Our Identity Statement
The identity statement of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) states: “We are Disciples of Christ, a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world. As part of the one body of Christ we welcome all to the Lord’s Table as God has welcomed us.”
We practice unity and inclusion at the Lord’s Table
All are welcome to the Lord’s Table for the sake of mission and for the sake of the world as the one family of God. We do this by celebrating communion every Sunday. That’s why we use a chalice as our logo.
We practice believer baptism
A person makes the choice to follow God’s call rather than the choice being made for them as an infant. Baptism is the basis of membership in the Church and also a mark that every person is called to serve God – the idea of the “priesthood of all believers.”
We baptize by immersion, but there is no requirement for re-baptism in our denomination. If you have been baptized in another denomination, we welcome you into our congregation as a baptized member of the body of Christ.
We encourage our young people to be baptized after making a confession of faith around age 10-12. Adults who have not been baptized can indicate a desire for baptism by contacting the pastor. Babies and young children are dedicated at special services throughout the year. The dedication is a pledge between the congregation and the parents to raise their child in a Christian environment.
We are a movement for Christian Unity
We honor our heritage as a movement for Christian unity by cooperating and partnering with other faith communities to work for bringing about wholeness – healing and justice – in the world. This is what it means to be “ecumenical.” One example is our cooperative work with the United Church of Christ in Global Ministries for the past 25 years and our newer effort to share staff in the area of family ministries.
We also honor the heritage of Christian unity by staying together in covenant as a witness to the world that even when we disagree we can still make room, welcoming all to the table as Christ has welcomed us. Our spiritual ancestors were fond of saying, “unity, not uniformity.”
We study scripture for ourselves
We are called to study and read scripture for ourselves. Rather than having tests of faith and creedal statements, we critically and thoughtfully study scripture, taking into account the history and background – the context – in which it was written.
We answer God’s call for justice
We move to answer God’s call for justice particularly in the areas of care for the earth, the challenges for women and children, poverty and hunger and immigration. We seek to do this work in cooperation with other people of faith. Some say we “get dirty for Jesus” as a way of conveying the hands-on mission orientation of many of our faith communities